Getting sick is a part of being a kid. Your immune system is not completely built up yet, and you are often in situations where you are exposed to illness, especially once you start attending school and sharing space with other kids. While the occasional head cold, earache or chicken pox is all a part of growing up, there is no reason to spend most of your childhood sick. If your child was a healthy baby, they should be a healthy child, even if the occasional sickness comes their way. It is difficult to keep a child healthy if the immune system is damaged. There are things you can do as a family to ensure your child will have the healthiest childhood possible. Everyday actions can lead to a healthy, happy child with just a little bit of effort.

First, it is important to have a healthy home. Keep the environment clean, as free of allergens as possible and provide your child with everything they need in the home to be healthy. They should have a sleeping space free of distraction, and they should have a schedule that allows them to get a good night’s sleep. Kids may need more sleep than adults, so if you child likes to sleep in and is grumpy if you wake them up with the sun, do not get frustrated. Their bodies are driving the need for extra sleep, and it is not just them being lazy. Likewise, if your child prefers to stay up a little later, you can allow this occasionally because their inner clocks are changing. However, they should have a sleep schedule that provides them with eight to ten hours of rest on a regular basis.

Another important part of keeping of kids healthy is setting a good example. If a child has healthy parents, they are more likely to grow up healthy. For one, they will mimic your behavior without questions. If healthy family meals are served each night, they will assume that is how it is supposed to be. If they see you getting exercise and staying active on a daily basis, it will become their reality too. They will also respond to any stress you are feeling, so be open about your life with them so they understand there are ups and downs, and to be healthy, the stress must be handled effectively.

What your child eats is going to make a big difference in their development, and as a parent, you have a lot of control over their diet. Expose them to a lot of foods and make the experience fun for them. There is no reason to force your child to eat foods they do not like, but encourage them to at least try something before ruling it out. Do not attach emotions to foods. Just let them taste something and determine for themselves whether or not they like it.

Get the entire family in an active lifestyle. Try to plan times for everyone to be active together. A couple of examples include family walks, bike rides, swimming, and gardening. Each family member will benefit from the exercise social family time.

Try to limit television, video game and computer times. These habits will tend to lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Children who sit around on the computer and watch television all day are at a much higher risk of gaining weight and anti social.

Surround your children with happiness. For kids to be physically and emotionally healthy, they need to know they are loved and supported with being smothered. Provide a healthy environment for them both physically and emotionally. Do not doubt asking help, Fort Worth Hospice would give you best recommendation if you are not able to handle the situation at your home.

Encourage physical activities that children will enjoy. Let children experiment with different activities until they find something they love. They will stick with this activity and stay healthy longer. Do not let them sit around all day doing whatever they want. There needs to be some structure.

Be as supportive as possible. Focus on the positives instead of the negatives. Children will benefit from hearing more positive things than negative. If you celebrate the little things with them as they are young, they will grow up to be more positive individuals.

Set specific goals and limits with almost everything. A couple of great examples are television and exercise time and eating limitations. However, if you are too strict, it can have a negative affect on the child. It is possible that the child will look upon adult figures as too strict and even scary.

Try not ever to reward children with fatty snacks. It has been seen in the past as highly disadvantageous to children. Each time they do good things they think candy will be coming their way. It easily leads to childhood obesity. Instead, you can reward them with healthy fruits and vegetables, even a play date with their friends. A few good suggestions include apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, cereal, and toys.Finally, try to eat breakfast and dinner as a family as much as possible. It is one of the important factors to help children develop their social skills. Try to think of what would happen if the child ate dinner and breakfast by themselves in their room each day. There is no doubt that the child would develop antisocial behavioral factors and possibly become depressed.